While Dr. Zhou went to negotiate, Kiana returned to Fuli's side, deeply moved.
"What a good person! A really good person!" she sobbed, lamenting that there were still good people in the world.
"Idiot Kiana must have gotten into a lot of trouble because of her meddling when she was a vagrant."
"Ah, ahaha..."
Bronya's sharp jab was met with nervous laughter from both Fuli and Kiana.
Noticing Fu Hua's hesitant expression, and fearing the little sister would turn her fire on him, Fuli quickly interjected, "Do you have something you want to say, cousin?"
"A good person..."
After a moment of hesitation, the girl spoke. "As a fellow partner on this mission, I have a duty to let you all know what kind of person our client is."
"I'm all ears!"
Fuli's expression turned solemn. A pen and notebook appeared in his distinctly-jointed hands, his gaze deep as an abyss. His posture, so serious it was almost reverent, was like that of a North Korean facing the third-generation Dear Leader.
"If you come in the dead of winter, I'll trade you a city of white snow, I wanna eat Cantonese food~" Kiana sang along at the top of her lungs with perfect timing.
"Stop singing, Kiana."
Fu Hua watched this scene, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. She shot a look at Bronya that said, 'Are they always this unhinged?'
'It's as they say: birds of a feather flock together.'
The little girl shrugged as if to say, "This is nothing," completely forgetting that she was also a member of the Hyperion.
Fu Hua cleared her throat, bringing the conversation back on track. "I arrived a little earlier than you all. Not only did I gather information related to the mission, but I also experienced a few things."
"A couple of days ago, Dr. Zhou's grandson came back to visit him. Due to work, he could only stay for half a day before having to rush off."
"Dr. Zhou was reluctant to see him go, so he took out 300 yuan and said with a hopeful look, 'Grandpa knows you can earn this much in a day. Don't be in such a hurry to go back to work. This is your day's salary. Can you please stay and keep your grandpa company?'"
"Waaah, the old man is so pitiful!" Kiana said, wiping her tears as she looked at the aged figure haggling with the old lady.
She declared loudly, "If that grandson has any conscience at all, he would definitely stay and keep Dr. Zhou company!"
"He did," Fu Hua said with a peculiar expression. "The grandson cried and asked for two days of leave from his company to stay and spend time with his elderly grandfather."
"The next day, Dr. Zhou's grandson played mahjong with him and lost thirty-eight thousand in cash to his grandpa."
"Gah?"
Kiana's sobs came to an abrupt halt.
Just then, the commotion in the distance gradually subsided.
An unharmed Dr. Zhou returned with weary steps, sighing unconsciously. "The elderly these days... they just know how to block other people's way."
"Indeed," Fuli agreed. "It's like how certain feminist groups' antics end up harming the overall interests of women. If one day a truly kind-hearted old person collapses from a sudden illness, with countless precedents of scams, passersby would have no choice but to remain indifferent."
"We are all trying our best to live~"
This time, the music was coming from Bronya.
"Let's not talk about that."
Though nearly seventy, Dr. Zhou's body still looked robust, aside from the aged lines on his face.
His cloudy eyes swept over the three newcomers. "You all look pretty young," he said doubtfully. "How old are you?"
Fuli: "I was born in the 90s."
Bronya: "I was born in the 2000s."
Kiana: "I am... Fire in the hole!"
"A bunch of teenagers. Are you reliable?" Dr. Zhou voiced his concerns. "Don't blame an old man for being blunt. I saved up my pension for five whole years to meet the requirements to post a mission there (on the dark web). And all I got was a group of young people who look like they have no experience. Anyone would be uneasy."
"I can vouch for them," Fu Hua stepped forward. "And the fact that the payment you offered could get them here is already like winning the lottery."
What? The first prize in the lottery is fixed? The chances of an ordinary person winning are basically zero?
Exactly. If it weren't fixed by Siegfried and Ryoma, why would the Hyperion trio take on such a tedious, low-paying garbage mission?
Perhaps he had already experienced her reliability, or perhaps he knew his pay was subpar, but Dr. Zhou said no more. He waved over the disguised Siegfried.
"This is my assistant and photographer, Qiteng. He's mainly responsible for recording the entire situation and editing the video. He doesn't talk much."
"A very steady type, I see."
"Mainly because no one listens even if he does."
Siegfried nodded dumbly, his empty left sleeve swaying back and forth.
The unfilial daughter Kiana raised a question. "Mr. Qiteng is missing an arm. Can he really do the photography work?"
"I believe he can," Dr. Zhou said righteously.
Mainly because the pay was low—only a hundred a day, and he didn't even have to cover food and lodging. It was like hiring a final-year intern.
Fuli felt a tug on his sleeve. He looked down and saw, as expected, it was Bronya.
The girl whispered, "Onii-chan, Project Bunny can also handle the photography and editing."
"Let's not take food out of his mouth," Fuli replied in a whisper, patting her little head. "But we can have Project Bunny record everything as a backup. When we're done, we can edit it and upload it to the internet. We can make a small profit, and we'll have something to look back on."
Bronya nodded silently, then added, "Then, on future missions, Onii-chan has to take Bronya with you, so we can record everything properly."
"That's not a problem," the boy said cheerfully, pulling out a drone. "A holographic intelligent live-streaming drone. As long as it's in a network environment, it can automatically connect and find the hottest live-streaming platform. It's all-terrain and comes with beautifying and video recording functions. The latter works even without an internet connection."
Like the Type 59 Medium Tank, Super-Duper Custom Edition, this was also a product of the last 10-pull.
"With this, even if you're not here, sweetie, your big bro can record the cause and process of every incident." Fuli crossed his arms, full of confidence.
"Eh?"
He was promptly kicked in the shin by the expressionless Bronya.
Siegfried, a veteran in the ways of romance, raised an eyebrow. The prospective son-in-law's EQ was a bit worrying. Bronya was clearly asking him not to leave her behind in the future, but the boy had just pulled out a substitute.
After the self-introductions, everyone had a basic understanding of each other.
Dr. Zhou was eager to go to the shore of Kanas Lake for some initial observations, but considering the trio had just arrived, he decided to take them to a hotel to drop off their luggage first.
"We... we have to drive again?" Kiana's mouth fell open. The thought of driving that damn gym car again made her legs go weak.
Your humble servant cannot do it!
I'm about to be dehydrated!
Fuli, on the other hand, was very excited. "Cousin, cousin! I'll show you a great treasure!"
Knowing Fu Hua's personality, he didn't wait for a reply, pulling her by the hand into the gym car.
The two of them closed the door, and the car soon began to creak and sway.
"Cousin... your thing... huff... it's amazing!"
"It can go even faster! Watch me! Haaa—!"
Their heavy breathing and questionable dialogue, which even the car windows couldn't block, left Siegfried and Dr. Zhou dumbfounded.
How long had they known each other? They'd already progressed to this stage?!
And they were cousins? Tsk, young people these days were getting more and more open...
After their "experience," the car door opened. Fu Hua, her pretty face flushed, stepped out, wiping the sweat from her forehead. She didn't forget to comment, "This car is great. It provides an excellent workout."
"Right?! I knew you'd like it, cousin!" Fuli, also drenched in sweat, followed her out, a bright and cheerful smile on his face. "Then how about you ride with us? There's still one more seat. The four of us together will definitely be more efficient!"
"Alright." The girl nodded, the beads of sweat on the nape of her neck scattering as she shook her head, creating a beautiful rainbow in the air.
'More efficient at what?! At what?!'
Siegfried quickly looked at his daughter, only to see a look of immense relief on her pure and lovely face.
'You and that little Russian girl together can't satisfy that boy? You have to add an A-rank Valkyrie? Just what size are we talking about here?!'
The old lecher's mind immediately went astray.
So did Dr. Zhou's.
Living on a tight budget, he had seen the cosmic masterpiece, the Wuling Hongguang, and was about to suggest they all squeeze in to save on a rental car.
But with the four young people up to... that, how could he possibly bring it up now!
Seeing that Fuli and the others were already getting into the car and, under Fu Hua's direction, were creakily heading towards the hotel, Dr. Zhou quickly pulled Siegfried to the side of the road to hail a cab.
A moment later, a lake-blue taxi pulled up in front of them.
Hearing the hotel address from Dr. Zhou, the driver, a cigarette butt dangling from his lips, said calmly, "One hundred and twenty."
"A little cheaper, pal. I may not be a local, but I've worked here for a long time."
"Can't go cheaper. Gas is expensive now, no way!"
"You married, young man?"
"Why do you ask?"
"If you're married, I'll give you cash."
The driver fell silent, the ash from his cigarette falling unnoticed.
Dr. Zhou pressed his advantage, pulling out a hundred-yuan bill. "Round it down. A hundred, how about it?"
"Alright then~"
Siegfried watched the battle of wits between the married men, dumbfounded.
"Hold on tight!"
Seeing his personal coffers replenished, the driver stepped on the gas with all his might.
The taxi instantly caught up with the leisurely advancing Wuling Hongguang, leaving it with a windshield full of exhaust fumes.
"This is outrageous! Absolutely outrageous!"
Three of the four in the car were filled with righteous indignation, especially Bronya, who loved to speed.
But even if they pulled on the gym equipment with all their might, sparks flying, the Wuling Hongguang still maintained a steady speed of 15 km/h, unwavering.
Slowly, an old cross-topped church came into view outside the window.
Kiana read the banner hanging on it: "Fellow countrymen, join the church and get married without a bride price."
She was shocked. "Wait, are churches resorting to this kind of method to recruit people now?"
Song of Solomon 8:7 says, "Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it. If a man offered for love all the wealth of his house, he would be utterly despised."
"Hiss!" Fuli sucked in a breath of cold air. "Senior Brother Jesus's move is too vicious!"
Where's the baptism?
Where's the communion?
Where's the wife who doesn't require a bride price?
"It's useless," Fu Hua said from the back seat, using the chest press. "As far as I know, this banner has been hanging here for three years. During that time, this church has only hosted two weddings, and many female congregants have stopped coming."
Bronya muttered to herself, "Vampires really are afraid of churches."
(they call young people in china vampires because they afraid of sun, you know skin and hot)
Amidst the emotion of the youths, the gym car creaked on.
A little while later, the new development area of the scenic spot came into view.
As far as the eye could see, in the middle of a large, beautifully organized plot of land, stood a lone, dilapidated house. A wisp of smoke rose from its chimney—a classic holdout.
"In foreign terms, this is called respecting individual rights," Fuli, who was a bit of a perfectionist, said, feeling uncomfortable at the sight. "Of course, it's also possible they couldn't agree on the demolition compensation?"
"No," Fu Hua shook her head. "This old couple's child went missing over thirty years ago. They refuse to move, no matter how much money is offered."
"The old folks are afraid that if they move, their child won't be able to find their way home if they come back..."
The car fell silent.
This wasn't a problem that could be solved by slapping yourself in the middle of the night.
Seeing her big brother's awkward expression, Bronya changed the subject. "Class Monitor Fu Hua really knows everything."
The person in question was as calm as water. "I told you, I spent the last few days familiarizing myself with the surroundings."
Hearing this, Fuli looked at Kiana beside him. This girl used to do the same when she was a vagrant, scouting out the environment of every new place so she could react in time if something happened.
Then he saw the ball of white fluff in the passenger seat secretly slacking off, her tongue sticking out. The rowing machine that was supposed to be powering the vehicle had been in the same position for a long time.
"I knew the car had slowed down! Get to work, you lazy bum!"
"But I'm really tired!" Kiana whined, continuing to row, showing none of her former wit and cleverness.
The midday sun poured into the car like liquid gold, casting enchanting shadows on the white-haired girl's stretched limbs.
Her sports bra clung to her rapidly beating chest, the rising heat turning the thin fabric semi-transparent, faintly revealing the outline of her abs. Strands of loose hair stuck to her flushed cheeks, and sweat trickled down the groove of her spine, pooling in the small of her back like translucent amber, blooming with vibrant life at the intersection of heat and coolness.
Watching this infinitely beautiful scene, Fuli, as if possessed, took out a lollipop and handed it to her.
"Here, for energy."
"Yay!"
The girl took it in one bite, her nimble little tongue licking every part of the candy's surface. The crystalline surface glistened as it moved in and out of her mouth.
"Ah Li is the best!" she said, her eyes squinted in bliss, her eyelashes trembling like a butterfly that had tasted nectar.
"That was the bride price just now."
"Huh?"
"No, it's nothing."
Seeing that they had reached their destination, Fuli quickly opened the door and got out.
"Hmph."
Reflected in her mismatched eyes was the boy's somewhat flustered back. Kiana, who had put her jacket back on, glanced at Fu Hua in the back seat and proudly raised her eyelashes.
Fu Hua: ?
Prometheus: "You've been unilaterally declared an enemy."
Dr. MEI: "That's right. She's provoking you, the second 'white moonlight,' Hua."
Fu Hua: ???
What just happened?
And didn't you say you'd talk tonight? So you've been secretly watching the whole time?
Answer me! Look in my eyes!